Identifying, conserving, recording, and celebrating our city's heritage is a key strategic goal for Wollongong City Council. That's why Council is calling for community feedback on the revised draft Wollongong Heritage Strategy 2023-2027.
Before you give your feedback, take a moment to reflect on what Wollongong's heritage looks like to you.
Here in the City of Wollongong, we live on Dharawal Country. Our shared history is the product of thousands of years of Aboriginal custodianship, descendants of the first European settlers and generations of migrants and their families who travelled across the world to make the Illawarra their home.
Today, our living heritage continues to evolve as we welcome more people to the city.
Image: Sri Venkateswara Temple, Helensburgh
Wollongong City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery AM said that the draft Wollongong Heritage Strategy 2023-2027 has been revised to include a stronger focus on Aboriginal Heritage.
"One of the aspects of our history that we wanted to make clear in the draft Strategy is that Wollongong's heritage is much more than just historical buildings. While architectural forms such as cemeteries, ocean pools, historic buildings and memorials are important, our heritage stretches beyond the European-centric lens," Cr Bradbery said.
"Instead, our city's heritage has been shaped by cultural and natural landscapes of importance to the local Aboriginal Community, which are now layered with shared heritage values such as agriculture, mining and military history."
Image: Gleniffer Brae, Wollongong Botanic Garden, Keiraville
The draft Wollongong Heritage Strategy 2023-2027 was revised with the support of the Wollongong Heritage Reference Group. It contains nine broad strategies which align with the NSW Government's Heritage Guidelines and has been updated to give a stronger focus to Aboriginal Heritage, the management of cultural landscapes and to capture Council's work around climate change and management of the open coast.
"The goal of this strategy is to guide Council's long term sustainable management of Wollongong's shared cultural heritage. It will help us prioritise and deliver Council heritage programs and projects over the next few years," Cr Bradbery said.
"Our community is diverse, and our shared history is nuanced and evolving. Our community is supportive of our vision to continue to value our natural environment. At the same time, we must carefully balance future needs by respecting our history.
"I encourage community members to take a look at the draft Strategy and share their feedback. How we conserve our city's history is an important issue for all of us who call Wollongong home and we want to hear your thoughts."
The draft Wollongong Heritage Strategy 2023-2027 will be on public exhibition from now until 4 August 2023.
